Category: Baseball

The Cleveland Guardians fell at home last night to the Texas Rangers, 7-3, but are still tied with the Detroit Tigers for the top spot in the AL Central. The Guardians were 15.5 games back of Detroit in July and hold the tie breaker should the two clubs be even after Sunday. Tonight in the second game of their 3-game set two lefties are expected to oppose each other, with Joey Cantillo getting the nod for Cleveland and Jacob Latz for Texas. Both hurlers have good numbers. Latz is 2-0 with a 2.80 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP, while Cantillo is 5-3 with a 3.21 ERA and a 1.30 WHIP. The Rangers have been eliminated from playoff contention and have nothing to play for except to be a spoiler. If the Guardians win the final two games, they will complete one of the biggest turn arounds in baseball history and win the AL Central.
TONIGHT’S PICK: CLEVELAND GUARDIANS

The Toronto Blue Jays will wrap up the regular season with a 3-game set at home against the Tampa Bay Rays. Toronto and New York are tied for the top spot in the AL East, with the Jays owning the tie breaker should they be even after Sunday. So, it’s simple for Toronto: Sweep the Rays and you win the AL East, and they are capable of doing that. Tonight’s expected starters are Shane Bieber for the Jays and Adrian Houser for the Rays. These guys have similar numbers, with Houser coming in at 8-4 with a 3.18 ERA and a 1.27 WHIP. Bieber is 3-2 with a 3.57 ERA and a WHIP of only 0.96. Toronto has dominated at Rogers Centre all year, boasting a record of 51-27, and they have the edge in runs per game, run differential, batting average, hits, and homers.
TONIGHT’S PICK: TORONTO BLUE JAYS

The Cincinnati Reds are on the verge of being swept at home by the last placed Pittsburgh Pirates and are one game back of the New York Mets for the final NL wild card spot with just four games remaining. The Reds will get a pass for last night’s loss because they had to face the best pitcher on the planet, Paul Skenes. Today is a must-win for the Big Red Machine and they know it. Cincinnati will finish the season against the best team in baseball, the Milwaukee Brewers, in Milwaukee and that won’t be easy. Today’s expected starters are lefty Nick Lodolo for the Reds and rookie Braxton Ashcraft for the Pirates. Lodolo is 8-8 with a 3.44 ERA and an excellent WHIP of 1.08. He last faced the Pirates back in May, allowing just one run over six innings of work and Cincinnati went on to an easy 7-1 win. Ashcraft has pitched well, with a record of 4-3, a 2.62 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP. Cincinnati has not been swept at Great American Ball Park all year; don’t make this the first.
TODAY’S PICK: CINCINNATI REDS

The Houston Astros fell to the Athletics last night, 5-1, in Sacramento and have now lost 4 straight, finding themselves one game back for the last wild card spot in the AL. With only five games left in the regular season, the Astros need to get back on the rails, now, and they should do just that when Hunter Brown gets the nod tonight in the second game of the 3-game set. Brown has been delivering all year. The All-Star is 12-8 with a 2.20 ERA, a 1.00 WHIP with 201 punchouts, and he has not allowed more than two runs since July 26th. Luis Severino is expected to toe the rubber for the Athletics. The ex-Yankee is 7-11 with a 4.72 ERA and a 1.32 WHIP. The Astros will have to run the table if they want to get in and they can do it. After this series with the Athletics, they wrap up the season with the lowly Los Angeles Angels.
TONIGHT’S PICK: HOUSTON ASTROS

The 80-76 Cincinnati Reds have won five straight and are now tied with the New York Mets for the last NL wild card spot and hold the tie breaker over New York should the two clubs remain even at the end of the regular season. The Reds will look to keep it rolling when they open a 3-game set with the 67-89 Pittsburgh Pirates tonight at Great American Ball Park. The expected starter for the Reds is Brady Singer. Singer is 14-10 with a 3.86 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP. Over his last three turns, it gets better. He is 2-1 with a 2.04 ERA, a barely visible WHIP of 0.98, and Cincinnati is 6-0 in his last 6 home starts. The Bucs are expected to give the nod the Johan Oviedo, who is 2-0 with a 3.52 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP, but that’s over just 30 innings of work. The Big Red Machine have won the last two meetings with the Pirates who are a dismal 23-52 on the road and Cincinnati is 6-0 in their last 6 games at Great American Ball Park.
TONIGHT’S PICK: CINCINNATI REDS

After taking two out of three from the Chicago White Sox over the weekend on the south side, the San Diego Padres return home tonight to open a 3-game set with the Milwaukee Brewers at Petco Park. The Brewers have clinched the NL Central and are on their way to finish the season with the best record in all of baseball. Will they put the brakes on for the final six games? It is very possible. On the other hand, the Padres have a magic number of two to secure a playoff spot and they will be extra motivated to get it done at home for their loyal fans. Tonight’s expected starters are two flamethrowers, with Freddy Peralta getting the nod for the Brewers and Nick Pivetta for the Padres. Peralta is 17-6 with a 2.65 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP. Pivetta has similar numbers, at 13-5 with a 2.81 ERA and an outstanding WHIP of only 0.96. The Friars are tough at home with a record of 47-28. They are expected to get a boost to their lineup when Xander Bogaerts returns tonight at short. San Diego knows they can beat these guys and did so back in June, winning two out of three in Milwaukee.
TONIGHT’S PICK: SAN DIEGO PADRES

The 85-70 Detroit Tigers once owned the best record in all of baseball and seemed to be a lock to win the AL Central but boy have things changed. The Tigers have lost 5 straight, 8 of their last 9, and are on the verge of being swept at home by the 72-83 Atlanta Braves. To make matters worse, the surging Cleveland Guardians are just 1 game back of Detroit for the lead in the AL Central. Today in the final game of their 3-game set with Atlanta at Comerica Park, the Tigers will turn to Casey Mize to get them back in the win column and he is up for the challenge. Mize has had a great year, with a record of 14-5, a 3.88 ERA, and a 1.27 WHIP. The Braves seem to be reveling in playing the spoiler role, winning 7 in a row. They will give the nod to Spencer Strider and Detroit should be able to put up some runs against him. Strider is 6-13 with a 4.84 ERA and a 1.36 WHIP. The Tigers cannot lose this matinée with the Braves, or they are in major trouble. Up next for Detroit is a 3-game set with the Guardians in Cleveland and they finish the regular season against the Red Sox in Boston. Detroit cannot lose this game!
TODAY’S PICK: DETROIT TIGERS